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We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on our first trip to Chicago, and we walked to the Billy Goat as soon as we got settled in. This was the first place that locals recommended. Eh, the food is what it is... It was not memorable in any way.
But I enjoyed the charm and the location deep below the Michigan Ave. It was a perfect welcome to the Windy City. But we quickly found ourselves in the pizza joints without ever looking back!
This place is the real deal! I've been coming here for years after wandering past it while strolling down Michigan Avenue on a family trip to Chicago. My mom was a little unsure about the place, so we didn't stop, but the next time I was in town I made it a point to make a stop here.
Boy was I glad I did! This place exceeded all expectations and has become one of my favorite little dives to grab lunch or a late dinner when I'm downtown. I've made it a point to visit on a regular basis and I will continue to as long as it's here.
This place is a part of Chicago history (as you'll soon be able to tell after reading the hundreds of newspaper stories plastering the walls). Billy Sianis is the purveyor of the original Cubs curse and also the inspiration for the famous Saturday Night Live sketch.
Anyways, the place is cheap, dirty and secluded. In other words, it's just how I like it. Add on top that the staff is rude and they don't serve fries with their burgers, and you've got a perfect combination!
Oh yeah, and the hamburgers (sorry...Cheezeborgors!) are delicious too!
Like everyone says, this is the ORIGINAL and what a dive!!!
If you really want Billy Goat's, come here. Drag yourself down those concrete steps into the underbelly of Lower Michigan and further down into the basement tavern and order up your cheezborger. No other location makes food as good and no other location has that "je ne sais quoi" dive vibe.
The food is good for what it is. Trust me. And even though it's on the menu, they do not serve chicken.
Plenty of seating for everyone, singles, groups, tourists, locals, so don't fret about coming during the height of lunch or dinner hours.
Enjoy.
What's on the menu for today ... ahh yes, the same as everyday. Obviously a "cheezborger" and a coke. No fries, just chips! Three beers on tap Schlitz, Billy Goat Lager and Billy Goat Ale. Save yourself and just order a bottled beer. I thought I might as well try the Billy Goat beer ... what a sucker! It was beast - or at least that's what it tasted like to me. The burger was decent. You dress it yourself. The staff is really friendly even though they try to give off a tough vibe. And as they say "Butt in any time!"
This place the (original at the basement of the Wrigley Building not the one at Navy Pier) is a complete freagin dive, but it has a lot of history and I dig that about this place. Try ordering a Single Cheezborger just for kicks and watch them pretty much make you have a Double! It's hilarious. The bar has cheap drinks, but bring cash because they use the same damn cash register as they did in the 1930's and they don't take plastic. Completely old school, but I love it.
It's a must stop for me every time I'm in Chicago, even if it is just for a quick beer.
The burger are ok, I would say in and out burger still better than Billy goat.
it is a mom and pop shop. definitely better than McDonald.
Even if it's underground, the Billy Goat couldn't be any farther from all the glitz of Michigan Avenue. When you consider the food, the regular clientele, and the decor, it feels more like a neighborhood bar in Cicero than somewhere in the proximity of an upscale shopping district.
The Billy Goat clientele is an interesting sight, as it seems to consist only of tourists and regulars. If you're a local eating here, you're probably here all the time, sipping your boilermaker on the formica counter and not getting conned into ordering a double.
Prices are a bit high considering that the food itself is pretty average--thank the tourist crowd--but you owe yourself at least one trip here.
This place lived up to every single expectation!! I loved the cheezborger, the environment and even the guy at the counter who looked like he would smack me when I asked for fries and a pepsi ha ha.
It definitely hit the spot after the Architecture boat tours. Which I recommend as well.
Did the Hancock audio tour and had to kill some time before the Architecture boat tour. So we thought we might as well grab a bit to eat and why not try this place considering any interview on the tour was in the 'VIP section" of Billy Goat Tavern.
I see other reviews mention you will get the 'Double Cheezborger'. I'm not even sure I would say it is alright, I felt like I was eating one of those burgers you can pick up at a gas station.
Anyways, it was a fun experience and glad I can say I did it, but would not recommend it for the food alone.
billy goat 101:
1. cheezborger cheezborger cheezborger
2. pepsi, no coke
3. no fries, chips
do yourself a favor and visit this location - the original - instead of the one on navy pier. sure, the place smells like lysol trying to cover up the odors of a moldy basement, but it's got character.
do yourself another favor and order a double cheezborger. not only will they look at you crazy if you order a single, but the bun's pretty hefty - so a single cheezborger is about 75% bread. DIY toppings can be found next to the register. by the way, this place is cash only - so come prepared; otherwise, you can find an ATM inside.
I should've got the double!! It's nice to see a tourist spot that doesn't change for the tourists. Vinyl seats, formica counters, and a tasty burger that hit the spot after a long morning on my feet. It's a dive, but it's a comfortable one. I also love the fact that it's under the street. :)
So before I came here, I was a vegetarian for 8 months! I'm a sucker for Chicago food and knew that I would not be able to resist eating meat while I was on vacation. Torrie and I bought tickets for the River Architecture Tour and we had a few hours to spare and decided to grab a bite to eat. The closest thing we could find was Billy Goat Tavern and when I saw that it was a Chicago staple, I pushed the veggies aside and went for it.
I don't think you can order anything less than the double cheese burger since when we tried to order something smaller, the guy gave us a look of death. Plus no fries...only chips! The burger was good...not sure if its because I hadn't had meat for almost a year or if it was really that good!!! I'd check this place out again if I was in the area, but I am sure there are better burger places in Chicago to go to.
3 1/2 stars just for the atmosphere in my book
--coming all the way from California, I could care less about tourist traps..i'm on vacation and like to be at places other than chains
--for other tourists on vacation, it's actually underground..you have to take steps to the bottom floor..sure it looks a bit sketchy but i've been to SF many times and have walked around rough areas before so it didn't really phase me
--as far as food, like others mentioned, you will need to get at least a double burger..the slices of meat are real thin and the bun is very big..they also don't serve fries..only have potato chips
--the guys working there are hilarious..he told everyone there, "DON'T LOOK AT THE MENU! I'M THE MENU!"...it was really funny to say the least
I'm so glad that they have curtains, being in a subterranean environment is already too bright. Where they always underground or did the road just rise above them?
A single doesn't do it, you have to get a double. Those 1.6 oz. burgers just don't cut it on billy bun, 2 is a must to taste more meat than bread.
The best way to do a Davey M., Wendella surprise, is to spend a couple of hours loading up on burgers and beers and head for the bridge. One whiff of the river should kick it over, let it flow. Just remember they'll catch it all on the lower Michigan Ave camera bridge, sunglasses as a minimal disguise required.
I loved how you have to go underground to get to the bar. The atmosphere is definitely the stereotypical dive bar. But for a dive bar, it's clean. The food is pretty good, but nothing I would rant and rage over. I had the burger and chips. Staff is laid back and personable.
Looking all over Michigan Ave. for the Billy Goat Tavern I finally notice that you have to go underneath the street. Hesitantly, I venture down there. The route you have to take to reach this place is a bit sketchy, but once inside you will ask yourself "Is this place for real?" Yes, yes it is... and it's great! You really do feel like you've just walked on to the set of SNL. The staff look rough around the edges but they're very nice. The beer on tap was their own Billy Goat brand (at least that's what I was told - wouldn't be surprised if it was Bud). It hit the spot.
Definitely a place to hit up if you're ever in Chicago.
So I'm walking around Michigan Ave. And I see a sign for the "Billy Goat Tavern" pointing under the street. Of all the lists I've made prior to heading for Chicago, I've totally forgotten about Billy Goat. I don't know why it's called the Billy Goat (something to do with baseball which bores the heck out of me), but I do know that it's a Chicago foodmark.
The place is crappy. I mean, I understand nostalgia. But It was dirty and dim. Service wasn't horrible, but they are in a hurry to get your order, even if the place is empty. Old habits I guess? They had only a handful of customers inside. Putting everything together, I guessed that this place was way past its prime and didn't expect much from the burger.
The double cheeseburger cost $5, which is what I had. I was pretty surprised by it. The meat was really tasty. Not strongly salted or anything, just a couple of plain patties bursting with flavor. The bread was a fairly solid kaiser roll. It's simplicity let the burger shine through. I added a couple pickles and some onions and ketchup at the very shady fixin's table (a bunch of open containers w/ pickles, onions and bottles of ketchup and mustard). I almost wish I hadn't, because they complicated a very straightforward and appealing burger.
The burger was ready in minutes. I was in and out in no time. Crappy restaurant, rushed service, but great burgers.
Very interesting place, to say the least.
When we walked in here after taking the Architecture Boat Tour on the Chicago River (highly recommended, by the way), we were a little bit distraught after seeing how unbelievably long the line was. Of course, such concerns quickly went away when we noticed how quickly the cooks were getting through the line. Actually, he didn't even give us a chance to order, he just kept yelling "double cheese" over and over again (good thing that's what I was going to order anyway). We had to move quickly too, because if the server noticed the line slowing down even a little bit he would yell out "people, the line, the line, the line, the line," and all would be good again. I'm not sure how they served so many people in such a short period of time, but it was quite impressive by any measure.
You would think that due to how little attention the staff paid to each individual customer that the food would be sub-par. Not so. While it surely isn't the best burger that I've ever had (see Val's), it was shockingly good in its own right.
I'd recommend this place to anyone, whether visitor or resident.
For all you precious foodies expecting a handcut Kobe sirloin patty on brioche, topped with imported Havarti and a farmer's market of multicolored California cuisine garnishes- stay out of my way in line here! Billygoat hasn't been swayed by the despotic control the Food Network has over our collective American stomach. Its still the 1940s here, so guess what? The cheeseburgers are slim and greasy (transcendent they ain't). You order them at the subterranean counter, dress the burger with onions, pickles and mustard yourself and then sit where you please. I recommend the well worn formica bar (Canadian Club on the rocks is just $5) where everyone is a regular and the ghost of Royko will haunt your meal.
This place evokes a brawnier, more raucous Chicago... when the town still had big shoulders, not yet humbled by the suburbanite's demoralizing great reverse-migration, with their dietary restrictions and crushing need for chain restaurants with pyrotechnic foods and service with a smile. This, on the other hand, is the real deal.
"Get the double, the double's the best."
Heed the words of the cook, I did, and was quite happy about it the rest of the day.
Yea, their burgers may not be the best, but like others said, this place is a stalwart of Chicago's past.
My mom worked up Michicgan ave. in the days of Royko and others, and would regularly see them down there during lunch. The place hasn't changed and I hope it won't.
To all the out-of-towners who write scathing reviews of one of Chicago's most endearing and enduring landmarks: you're just jealous. I'm sure Atlanta has better burgers than the old Billy Goat. But Atlanta dosen't have the Billy Goat. Chicago does. Go to Kuma's if you're offended by how un-gourmet it is.
My main gripe about this place is that prices are too steep now to really enjoy anything. It was a quick place to get a burger before tour buses started stuffing the place with tourists.
My friend and I were attending a conference in Chicago and felt the need to visit the Billy Goat Tavern after all the stories. It's one of those places that just don't stick around anymore in the era of chain restaurants. If you decide to head down (and I do mean down, it's under Michigan Ave.) watch your step and watch for the potholes! When I went to the Billy Goat with my mom she stepped in a pothole filled with a mysterious fluid...yuck!
You get what you pay for, a greasy burger, chips and a coke.
But my guess is if you're heading here it's more for the experience than the food; either way enjoy!
The Billy Goat is quite possibly the single most "Chicago" of any eatery, bar, or establishment in Chicago. It's SO Chicago.
I've been going here for about 15 or 16 years. My dad used to take me before or after the Chicago auto show, many years in a row. I may be, and probably am biased, but it's one of my favorite places ever.
The burgers are great, in my opinion. The patties are normal thin patties but the bun is delicious, and the toppings are always fresh and plentiful. Pile 'em on all you want, because you do it yourself! Only american cheese. Too bad they don't have cheddar, but I'll deal with it.
Ambience is through the roof. Nothing has changed in this place at all ever since I've been going there. Tons of old newspaper clippings, photographs, even the same old curtains above the bar. I don't think the chef's hats have even changed. Literally, it's amazing. I can't think but a handful of things that haven't changed, and this is one of them. Along with the curse of the billy goat that is (don't judge! i'm not a cubs OR sox fan!)
Staff is gritty. No customer service is present here and that's how it belongs. You had better know what you want to order otherwise you will be shouted at. Tourists: check the menu out BEFORE you go into the restaurant and act cool and order what you want. You will fit right in ;)
Parking sucks and it's kinda hard to find if you've never been there. Just look for the door with the giant goat painted on it.
Not much else to say. You haven't entirely visited Chicago until you've been here, and you aren't a through and through Chicagoan till you know the significance of this place.
Oh, no fries, chips. Honestly, not kidding. They don't have fries here.
Having a funny skit on Saturday Night Live is no reason to choose a restaurant. This place is a DUMP with very narrow food selection that is an order of magnitude below McDonald's in taste and quality! A double burger still seems smaller than 1/3 pound. Not recommended in the least.
So I've heard about it and seen things on Food Network about it so I just HAD to try it. When boyfriend and I just happened across it while walking to the movies yesterday... we were both hungry (like always) so we HAD to stop in for a snack. It wasn't super crowded and busy like I had heard/seen about it but it sure was tasty :] We split a double cheezborger and added pickles, chopped onions and tons of mustard (yum) on it from the condiments bar (they also have ketchup - boo, and whole onions and relish) ... I took my fun pictures and we gobbled down super fast :] OH YUM! I'm a fan
Fantastic tourist experience. To do Billy Goat the correct way, you must: (1) be wide-eyed, smily tourist (or, like me, someone who appreciates the tourist experience) - (2) go into it knowing the SNL background - (3) roll with the experience.
We walked in and were commanded to order a double. I complied. Who's to argue with the type of man behind that counter? My unwitting husband attempted to ordered fires (no fries! chips!) and learned his lesson fast.
The food was great and the experience was ace. CASH ONLY!
Best greasy spoon i have ever been to; and I am from Detroit!
The ceilings are a combo of cigarette residue and paint and awesomeness. A "Wall of Fame" lines one whole side with famous news reporters and other locals who made this place what it is today.
They have their own Billy Goat beer on draft and others available for bottle or cans in addition to Cheezeborgas and other great diner food.
The walls are literally bars that face the big bar in the middle. I went here for the first time with like 30+ friends and we were a small contingent in the back corner.
If you have ever been to Detroit and love places like Lafayette Coney Island - this is Chicago's version.
Two words - flippin sweet!
If you want romantic ambience and classy cuisine then skip this and head to Charlie Trotter's or somewhere of that ilk. If you want a dive bar where the staff has more attitude than they know what to do with (in all the right ways) and a great sense of history, then line 'em up and make yourself at home.
I worked near here and the staff always had our beers ready for us as soon as we came in the door (in hindsight, perhaps we were there too much). Anyhow, as I am getting ready to leave Chicago I shall have nothing but fond memories of this place.
And if you're going to eat, don't screw around...get the double. As well, bonus points to you as well if you can get Payne to dance.
I came here for the breakfast once. I was actually quite surprised when a buddy of mine told me they served breakfast. It was typical breakfast food, nothing too spectacular, but it did the job and was decently priced.
This place has the history of being the inspiration for the "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger" skit Saturday Night Live--and the cheeseburgers don't disappoint.
Beer selection is modest, but it's really all about the bar and its history--oh, and its cheeseburgers.
It's worth going to at least once for the novelty of it. Reminded me of all the old SNL skits. They will serve a fried egg on your burger if you ask for it. If I am looking for a cheap place to grab a beer and I am in that neighborhood, I'll pop in there. It's a dive but it's got character. And it's a good place to meet up with an old friend for a beer or two.
Come for the Nostalgia and Decor, not for beer or food.
Been here a couple times. I love the feel of the place - old pictures covering every inch of the wall, most of them black and white going back to 50s and 60s. But its somewhere between a bar and an old fast-food joint. You don't have a waiter, but there is a dude who will get a beer for you (altho $3.50 for a draft beer is not expensive but it ain't the cheapest). Food is not cheap, either. I had a double bacon cheeseburger for $7 and barely filled me up - I could have had two (I opted to fill up on beer instead). They also have hot dogs and other items you find at a grill, but nothing fried. Thats right - no french fries. Only bags of chips.
I'd go back if i'm in the 'hood.
Bunborger. All bun.
Cool atmosphere and the history speaks for itself--but the food is absolutely disgusting. All this CHEEZBORGER nonsense is just silly. Most tourist traps (like Pink's Hot Dogs in LA etc...) live off a name and have nothing to offer for the taste buds.
My burger was all bun, no meat--and THANK GOD! Because the meat was worse than pre-chewed goat food. I think the reason they don't serve french fries is that the cooks couldn't figure out how to operate a deep fryer and this was the solution.
If you like bad food and tourist traps surviving on memories and drunks with no sense of taste then by all means--the Goat is all yours...take it....PLEASE!
Absolutely.
Terrible.
I went with a visitor for the experience, but I certainly won't go back unless dragged there by even more visitors. The place is crowded and generally dirty. Not that I've got any problem with that, but I would expect the price of the burgers to be in line with the environment.
As for the food itself, don't go here expecting much. The burgers are thin and tasteless. But still, it's an attraction and worth stopping in, even if you're not going for the burger. And for this reason, I give the place 2 stars. If the food was served at any less notable location, I'd knock a star off.
Fun venue, but avoid the food.
four stars for dive bar, cheap drink in the down town area.
Loses one star for that whole 'cubs curse' story cos seriously, fans of the cubs should probably blame their own stupidity and greed of the ownership on their 'curse' . Those fans are masocists plain and simple. Oh right, they have the best team in baseball now right? well, I've been practicing the heimlich all week to prepare for their CHOKE!
Regains a star for being underground, literally.
Loses that fourth star again for schlockiness and schtick.
Regains that fourth star for royko and my grandpa, the pressman drinking whisky after work.
If your are a fan of the original Saturday Night Live Sketch this is a must stop. I've been Chicago several times and this is the first time I've eaten here. It was a lot of fun. The greek owners run the place during the daytime. Greasy diner food, burgers, chips, Pepsi. A little pricey for a double burger but your there for the ambiance and nostalgia. If your not a fan of the sketch or a hungry lunch patron there really is no point in stopping.
True dive.
Came here with friends to drink and worry over Obama projections on Tuesday. Drank for 2 hours, closely following CNN projections of electoral map.
Food is true greasy spoon. NO FRIES only chips! WTF!
Corned Beef on Rye pretty darn good.
Awkward pay as you go. Order food on one side, drinks on the other.
Fall bar and sub par selection of beers. Drinks are a bit overpriced (ok ok it's within the loop) expect to pay $2 more for beers than you'd normally pay-
I'm coming back for the Cheezborger!
Fair amount of bike parking as well, directly out front.
"Cheezboger, Cheezboger, Cheezboger!!!!" I couldn't wait to hear that after I walked in the doors of the Billy Goat Tavern! 27 years of my life, and years of coming downtown for work and pleasure, this place has always just missed my grasp. As in any bar, My friend and I grabbed a drink, the Billy Goat Lager (think if Old Style and PBR had a baby - and that baby needed a bath..) and pulled up a seat.
We sat around just slowly drinking our beers and talking, while I secretly was listening extremely close to the people behind the counter, just waiting for it.... the words made immortal by John Belushi. Nothing. Finally, my friend hands me a $10 and says, why not get us a couple of cheeseburgers - I wasn't hungry, so I declined, but went up and ordered for him. As he then shouted, "Make mine a double!"
I walked up to the counter and placed the order, and when I thought he was going to shout the words, he turns to the other guy and says, "Double Cheese..". My heart sank. The build up, the anticipation, all shot down with one fell swoop. He then asked if I wanted a drink.. a glimmer of hope I assumed. Maybe I would get a "No Pepsi, Coke!".. but he left it alone, when I declined the drink... defeated, I started to walk away - and he asked, "Chips?".. but I knew it was just a tease.. and I declined those as well and returned to my seat.
Alas, I am not shaken, nor detoured from returning again when i will hear those famous words uttered from the grill. Also, I think the older greek man needs to be there. He is the flair of it all. He knows how to ham it up from what I hear.
Anyway- As I didnt try the cheezborger, I can't really review it. But my friend, who knows his way around a patty of beef, said it was excellent and hit the spot. The beers, although they were pretty accurate to my above description, were not all that bad once you get to the third one. - The taste grows on you.. or maybe it creates a film that grows over your tounge, and then it just tastes like beer. Either way, it was a good time in this place. I would come back again just based on the fact that the bar looks look something straight out of the '50s.
A great place! A Chicago staple? Maybe not, but a place that you should not wait 27 years to experience. I will return again soon.
Definitely a fun place to be. I'm too young to have seen the SNL sketches, but I know of them. It's fun when they rush you through what you want to order. Be advised: the cheeseborgers and hamborgers are small, get the cheeseborger cheeseborger cheeseborger. It's not as big as you might think. Additionally, there are no fries, just chips. Finally, the reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because they don't take cards, just cash. It's 2009 and this is Chicago, who does that?? That's so annoying. Other than that, jolly good fun and worth the jaunt.
Let's be honest...you cannot go to Chicago and NOT come here. And you have to go to this one - don't douche out and go to the one at Navy Pier. LAME! Part of the charm is getting lost while trying to find this joint on lower Michigan Ave.
Let's also be honest about the food - it ain't nothin' special. I mean, I am pretty damn sure that I can order a $6 Burger at Carl's Jr. and it will taste better...but a burger's a burger...and this place is about the nostalgia...not the food.
And shit, for $4.75 - what the hell have you got to complain about?
You walk into this joint and you feel dirty. Not hooker dirty - but 1940's gangster dirty. It's a time warp!
Pretty cool!
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